Aerophore.



N0. 833,03 1. 'PATENTED OUT. 9, 1906. L. DE FOREST.

AEROPHORE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8 1905.

2' SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Dali if; i z/m. Wwmfll PATENTED 0019, 195615,

L. DE FOREST.

AEROPHORE.

APPLICATION FILED 13110.8. 1905.

2 SHEET8-SHBBT 2 \A/IT ESEE E I v TED STATES PATENT UFFICE.

AEROPHORE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1906.

Application filed December 8, 1905. serial No. 290,876.

To all whom; it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEE DE FOREST, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Aerophores, of which the following is a s ecification.

My invention re ates to a system of signaling by electromagnetic waves.

The object of my invention is to provide a system whereby a ship or other moving body which is provided with receiving apparatus may be able to locate its position with respect to a stationary body which is provided with transmitting apparatus.

The drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification illustrate two embodiments of my invention, although it isto be understood that I do not limit myself to such particular embodiments, inasmuch as many modifications will be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates diagrammatically one form of my aerophore. Fig. 2 shows a detail of construction. 3 is a diagram representing a portion of a sea coast having the aerophore located on a cape and a ship within the influence of the waves transmitted by said aerophore, and Fig. 4

represents a modification of my invention.

My invention depends upon the fact now well known that by various devicessuch, for-example, as a parabolic or other suitably- 3 5 shaped reflector or an inclined antennait is possible to concentrate the transmission of electromagnetic waves in one general direction. It is to be understood, however, that although I have herein shown only two of such radiation concentrating devices there are many other devices and systems of circuits which are available for this purpose such, for example, as the system disclosed in Fig. 1 of my Letters Patent No. 749,131, 4.5 dated January 5, 1904 and that I do not herein limit myself to any particular kind of radiation concentrating device, but consider any suitable device within the scope of my invention.

Referring now to Fig. 1, .J represents a prime mover-for example, a gas-engine operatively connectedywith the generator G by means of abelt passing around the sheave K. Q, is a signaling-wheel, hereinafter more fully described, driven by the worm P and worm-gear P. The shaft 0, which is provided with said worm- P, is driven by the belt M, which passes around the pulley N on the shaft 0 and the driving-pulley'L, whichis operatively connected with the prime mover J. A brush R makes electrical connection with the axle of the wheel Q, and hence with said wheel, and the brush R makes electrical connectionwith the contacts S, with which said wheel Q is provided. T is a step-up transformer whose primary is included in the generator-circuit and whose secondary is connected to the spark-gap A of the oscillator or antenna A through the brushes 7 8 and. the rings 7 8. A condenser C may be connected in shunt to the sp ark-gap A in the usual wellknown manner. B is a reflector of parabolic or other suitable shape which carries by means of the insulators 9 9 the oscillator A and which is mounted on the rod D, which is 7 5 rotated by the prime mover J by means of the shaft I, bevel-gears H and H, shaft F, and bevel-gears E and E.

It is to be understood, of course, that although I have shown and described certain specific mechanisms for rotating the wheel Q and reflector B such mechanisms are herein shown and described merely for the purpose of more clearly and fully illustrating my invention and that any suitable mechanism or train of mechanisms may be employed for the purpose of rotating the wheel Q and reflector B in such manner that there is always a definite and predetermined relation between the tWO.

It will now be clear that the operation of A the prime mover J causes the alternating current in the generator-circuit to be interrupted by the contacts S and the brush R in accordance with the spacing of said contacts S, that said current so interrupted is transformed into high-potential current by the transformer, and that said high-potential current impressed upon the oscillator A causes the latter to emit electromagnetic waves broken up into signal elements which also correspond to the spacing of the contacts S. The waves so emitted are concentrated in one general direction by the reflector B and sent out into space in a direction determined by the position of the reflector, and inasmuch as the reflector is rotated continuously said direction is continuously shifted. Thus, for example, in Fig. ,3, in which V represents. the aero bore and U a ship within the influence of t e waves transmitted by said aerophore, the receiving apparatus on the ship will not res nd to waves sent out when the reflector is irected toward north or north northeast or east northeast or east, but will respond when the reflector is '5- directed northeast. If the waves which af-, feet the receiving apparatus on the ship in the position shown in Fig. 3 were character'- ized by a certain arbitrary or code signalsuch, for exam le, as three dotsthe pilotby donsulting a cl iart would know that he was northeast at -a certain aerophore, but wouldnot know what aerophore.- If shortl afterward he should receivearadically ifferent signa1a's, for example, 4 two dashes he could by consulting a chart ascertain the location of the point from which the directionsignal had been transmitted. For the purpose of transmitting direction-indicating signals I divide the wheel Q into a certain num' her of sectors (herein shown as sixteen) corresponding tosixteen points of the compass and provide each sector with contacts S S S S Sf, &c., adapted to produce in the particular form herein shown a series of. single dots when the reflector is directed north, a series of two dots when the reflector is directed north northeast, a series of three'dots when the reflector is directed northeast, a se- .ries of four dots when the reflector is directed east northeast, and a .series' of dots and I dashes when the reflector is directed east.

The other sectors into which the wheel Q, is divided are provided with similar contacts adapted to break up the radiation into codesignals, each distinctive or characteristic of a given. compassoint. The wheel Q is also provided with equently-recurring contacts T, (herein shown as contacts adapted to pro:

duce-two long dash'es,)'in order to indicate to the ship carrying the receiving. apparatus the location of that particular aerophore from which the direction-signals are being transmitted. Thus, for example, the contacts T on one wheel would be, as'shown, two dashes, 45. on another wheel three .dash'es, on a third wheel dash, dot, dash, &c., and these aeropho're-loeating signals would be tabulated on charts with which the ships employing receiving apparatus for receiving signals from the aerophores would be furnished. The modification shown in Fig. .4 depends u on the rinci le'enunciated by Braun in t e Phi st al'iscfe Ze'itschrift, April '1, 1903, page 36-1, that inasmuch as the field of force etween-an inclined antenna and the earth ismore intense in the direction of inclination.

\ electromagnaticwaves from said antenna likew se is more intense in the direction of mtions' may be developed in the antenna.

' means for emittingfrequently-r'ecurring sig- 'other electromagnetic wave-signals identifythan in other directions the radiation of clination. In Fig. 4 the arena of the alter-' 6o nator G includesthe brushes R R. (shown in Fig. 1) and the primary of the transformer T,

whose secondary energizes the oscillating circuit W,'Whieh is provided with a spark-gap, two condensers, and the primary of the oscil-' lation-transformer T, whose secondary isincluded the antenna A". It will be understood, of course, that the oscillation-circuit W is'herein shown merely to illustrate one of the numerous ways in which oscilla- The mast D is rotated through the bevel gears E E, shaft'F', and prime mover-J in the manner shown in Fig. 1 or by anyother suitable means, and thereby produces the rotation of the antenna which is supported by the boom. 1 and cable 2. 'Y isa brush contactin the ring X, which is conductively connecte with theantenna. The operation Is the same as in Fig. 1that is to say,-the

direction of transmission and the character of the transmission are continually varied in a definite and predetermined manner by the operation of the prime mover on the signal-- wheel Q, andinclined antenna A. 85

1. 'An aerophore comprising means for emitting a predetermined electromagnetic wavesi 'al in a predetermined direction and means or emitting a signal identifying the location of the aerophore.

2. An aerophore com rising means for emitting redetermineri electromagnetic wave-signa s in predetermined directions and S nals identifying the location of the aerophore. 9 3. An aerophore comprising means for .emitting electromagnetic wave code-signals changing with their direction of transmission and means for emitting signals identifying loo the location of. said aerophore.

4. An aerophore comprising means for emitting; redetermined' electromagnetic wave-sigma s and means for emitting signals identifying the location of the aerophore. re 5 5. In a wireless-telegraph transmitting sys-' tern, means for transmitting electromagnetic wave-signals indicating the direction of their transmission and means 'for transmitting 1 IO ing the location of the transmitting system.

testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 1st. day of December,1905. LEE DE FOREST.

Witnesses: l

M. E. Grimes,

Penn Fann'swomm; 

